The Underground
by Heart Sandwich
Summary: What seemed to be a dream come true for Nick Wilde quickly turns dark as he is plunged head first into the dark secrets resting beneath Zootopia, and possibly the entire world. A simple dream of being able to work on the largest underground railway ever constructed is now a nightmare, with Wilde discovering that some things are better left buried.


_Hey... it's James. Look, I know this may be a bit of a shock for you (no pun intended), but do try your best to adjust, okay? It's been quite a while since you've decided to do any public work, let alone leave your home town in search of something better. You're the best damn Engineer I've met in a while, beating the competition at almost everything you do. What's a little underground work for Zootopia Railway? I know, I know, 'The Future Is Here' is probably the most BS fucking slogan I've ever heard, but you can't deny the tech that they are using to do all of this. I mean, underground railways that stretch across the entirety of the planet? Holy fuck, that's ambitious, and they're halfway done with all of the work as well. Its pretty cool if you ask me, definitely worth throwing a bone at.(no pun intended part 2) Predators aren't seen in a very good light, with you all having to wear shock collars and the like down there, I am eternally sorry for that, I didn't know about it, I'm not from Zootopia. I'm just some backwater ass rabbit pilot from the United Kingdoms... anyways, you should be cleared for access to the tunnels, the Zootopian government is providing all the gear and clearance you need, I made sure to use my connections to land you a good spot on the waiting list. What do you know? It worked. Seems like they saw your credentials and were highly interested in you. It's about time a pred got some recognition for being skilled in his craft. Be safe out there, and remember, you can call me on your Cell, so hit me up if you ever need anything. Make us proud, Wilde. _

_"Who says a fox can't Engineer?"_

**THE ****U****N****D****E****R****G****R****O****U****N****D**

LOG 1.

Nick Wilde, a cunning red fox from Yorkston, an old mining colony far away from the spotlights and glimmer of Zootopia, sat nervously on the shuttle train. He was being transported to Facility D, an unfinished underground mining effort built on the outskirts of Zootopia to mine for Vitanium, a rare resource used in the crafting of the United Railway System, or URS. It was a fascinating project, one that had caught Wilde's eye since he was but a kit; giving him the dream of being able to work on the project and hopefully make a difference in the world. He didn't want to be just another fox on the streets, he wanted more, he wanted to _be_ someone, and have his name recognized for his achievements. This mindset helped him push through the trials and tribulations of pursuing such a lofty career path. You see, Nicholas Piberius Wilde wasn't just an Engineer, he was a Multi-Maintenance Certified Soft, Bio, Hard, and Machineware Operational Expert, meaning that he had the qualifications to be an Overseer of the entirety of Facility D's operational capacity. But, the position wasn't open to predators, something about them being 'unstable', and 'genetically unqualified for such high intensity work'. It was no secret that Zootopians didn't have the brightest opinions on predators, making them wear FPCs, better known as the Feral Prevention Collars, which were created some time ago in response to predators turning savage for no apparent reason. Though such things have stopped, it was blamed on the genetics of predators, making prey so fearful that some random wolf on the street would become a snarling animal in an instant that they created the collars to regulate emotions in predators.

No other place outside of Zootopia used such a thing however, which is why it was such a shock to see such a thing in a city where anyone could be anything. Nick knew that he wouldn't have been able to complete any of the studies he slaved through if he had been born in Zootopia, so he could consider himself lucky for that fact alone.

But as he sat, in the dark, dull grey and orange shuttle, being shot through tunnels to his destination, he was beginning to wonder if he had made the right decision coming here. He was beginning to wonder if he was lucky at all, and not just some chew toy for the insatiable monster that was fate.

The red fox tugged on the collar around his neck, feeling constricted, trapped. It was a heavy thing, weighing around 4 pounds, and it was quite thick as well. The FPC had one large module on it, with three lights, all of them green, signifying that his mental state was good at the moment, and he was safe to be around. if the lights began to change color, either to yellow, red, or blue, it meant that his mental state had changed. Yellow was a warning sign, it meant that a predator was panicking, either they were angry or overly depressed or distressed about something. The LED would then change to green if the problem is taken care of, or red, if the problem became increasingly worse. Once the collar's LED lights flashed red, the collar would send out a high concentration 10 volt shock directly to the neck, electrocuting the predator into submission. It was a horrid thing, but, in the eyes of prey, it was a necessary evil. Nick had never been shocked by one, even though he had to wear them for a better half of 2 years, as per Zootopia law.

Nick glanced down at his clothing. He was dressed in a lime green Hawaiian shirt, which was decorated with the shape of palm trees, and plain khaki pants. It wasn't the best combination, but it was his style, and the shirt had been a gift from a friend that he lost years ago. He wore it more so in memory, rather than to appease his own fashion sense. Though, if anyone had bothered to ask about it, he would reply with his usual sense of swagger, something that had both aided him and gotten him into a bit of trouble over the years.

The shuttle rocked a little bit, making Nick sit up straight, a pang of worry forming in his brain. He quickly shook it off, however, as outside the windows of the shuttle, the seemingly endless rock disappearing and being replaced with a dense-looking, grey shuttle station, which was split into two sides. They were both labeled in large orange letters. The left side of the station was labeled 'ADMINISTRATION' and the right 'LOADING BAY'. The shuttle turned into the loading bay, going through a large octagon shaped set of metallic gates, coming to a dead stop on the other side. The shuttle doors slide upwards, and Nick stands up, walking out onto a catwalk which lead to a set of illuminated structures, both rectangular in appearance, the symbol of the URS proudly placed upon them. But, even in all the light, everything still appeared dark, and somewhat lifeless, with how it was built. Nick supposed that this was due to the fact that things made underground need to be built to last, not built to be pretty, which he could understand completely. Letting out a breath, Nick walks towards the structures, seeing a staircase that lead upwards to two mechanical double doors, both of which looking to be at least 150 pounds each, both set in place by large deadbolts set into the side of the thick grey and orange walls.

Wilde walks up to the doors, and glances around, not seeing how to open them, since they didn't have any handles. After looking around for a short while, he discovers a white keycard reader. White keycard readers are usually used for low level access points; Usually standard employees of exceptionally wealthy companies were given one. There were four keycard levels that Nick had known about; White, Green, Blue, and Red, each color corresponding to whatever security level needed in the area at that moment, with White being the lowest, and Red being the highest. There were also Rainbow Access Cards, (RACs), cards that had multi-access chips implanted in them that allowed the user to download the coding used in each security protocol within each separate color of the Security Color Code Nexus, (SCCN), allowing the card to be used for any protocol possible. These were only given to administrators and mammals of high importance, so most workers never got the chance to see one. Well, except Wilde.

He reached into his pants pocket and removes a black card with his photo and various other personal information on it. The card had a chip on the far right of it, the chip having for stripes, each stripe went with a color on the Nexus, which made the card able to use the Rainbow Access Protocol. He had been given this card before boarding the shuttle, due to the nature of his job being multi-faceted, meaning that he would need to access different security levels to work on and maintain high value equipment. Nick placed the card into the keycard reader, prompting an automated voice from a speaker at the top of the door somewhere to say;

_"Welcome to Facility D, Nicholas P. Wilde. Staff have been notified of your presence, and are on the way to provide the appropriate assistance. Access to door 1D granted."_

The doors seemed to fold into themselves and slide upwards, disappearing into some complex mechanism that Nick couldn't wait to learn how to use. That thought was immediately cast aside when he saw the interior of the structure. It wasn't nearly as cold as the outside appeared, with a beautiful (Albiet fake) waterfall trickling down from somewhere in the rocks above, directly in the center of the interior. the walls and floor were a clean white and orange color, making the structure have a more sterile feel to it more than anything. There were what Nick assumed to be fake plants, comfy looking lounge chairs, what appeared to be smoking area, and a front desk occupied by a bored looking female deer in a grey and green URS jumpsuit. Nick couldn't deny it, he found the URS uniforms very VERY cool. The little kit in him came out whenever he saw one, and it was one of the reasons he had decided that it would be a good idea to try to prove to the world that he could earn the right to wear the suit.

URS suits, just like the URS security systems are color coded. Green, Blue, White, Black, and Brown. The Green suit was used for administrative mammals that usually worked the front desk of management offices. The Blue suit was used for low intensity jobs that usually involved data management, and thus the suit looked identical to the Green suit. The White suit was meant for those working in top secret research, and were usually identifiable for the white color scheme, oxygen tank, and detachable hazmat mask and hood that came on a holster neatly attached to the right leg of the suit. The Black suit was used for offensive personell that guarded the facilities under the control of the URS program. The suit was very intimidating, with its black and grey color scheme, various bandoliers full of ammunition, most of which were live ballistics rather than darts, since the suit was originally made for military operations from other foreign countries. Yet, somehow, Zootopia had acquired the rights to the blueprints, and were now able to use the suit for defensive purposes, but only for highly sensitive occupations like this one. the Black URS suit definitely wasn't going to be used in the police force any time soon. One of the more standout features of the suit was the combat armor used as protection, it ranged from light, medium, heavy, and juggernaut. Nick had only ever seen the light armor variant, though, which consisted of grey metal arm guards, wrist guards, armored knee pads, reinforced steel toe boots, a metal neck protector, and small shoulder plating. There was also the spine protection as well, which consisted of a complex metal contraption fastened to the back that went all the way down the spinal bone, and was usually sized for whatever mammal wore it.

And last, but certainly not least, the Brown suit, or the HDMPS. (High Density Mining Protection Suit) This is the only URS suit Nick had above average knowledge on, and actual hands on experience with, as he had to go through calibration with it when he was going through his application. The HDMPS is a mining suit meant to withstand powerful blasts of heat imitated from the CQ35 Portable Melter Pistol, and protects the wearer of the suit from electric currents as well as low velocity impact from foreign objects. The suit itself is very strange, being a lot heavier and a tad bit clunkier looking than the other suits, and unlike the others it comes with a helmet to protect the wearer's eyes from possible damage caused by debris, heat, and high intensity light. The suit has a tool belt built into it, as well as a reinforced steel chest piece that covers the vital organs of the wearer, all of which have a particular dingy brown color to them. The boots are reinforced and magnetized, allowing freedom of transversal in certain underground environments. There are special gloves and heat gauntlets one top of the gloves that help stabilize heat that travels to the hands, preventing burns. The helmet was split into three parts; the lower respirator, the face guard, and the three eyed oculus, which of course allowed its user to see what they are doing.

"Uhm… sir?" Nick was snapped out of his thoughts. "Yes ma'am?" Nick says politely as he turns his full attention to the doe behind the counter, who had opened up a laptop, typing on it quickly, most likely documenting his arrival. She looks at him, her eyebrows raised, her face seemed to be frozen in shock. He knew why, she didn't expect someone with such high credibility to be a predator. Typical.

"Ma'am?" Nick questions, trying to hold back his snark for a little while, just to be professional. She seems to snap out of her stupor, at least for a little while.

"You are Nicholas P. Wilde, am I correct?"

"That's me." Nick replies, a small smirk appearing over his easy going features.

"Very well. May I see your RAC?" Nick complies with no complaints. The doe takes the card and seemingly inserts it into a device, and lets it sit there for a few moments. While he waits, Nick begins to wonder about the lack of other mammals, looking around and only seeing her. It was a strange sight, one that worried him. His worries were quickly alleviated when, on the far side of the room, a metal door opens, revealing three figures. Two white suits, both whom Nick could determine the species of because of how the suit completely obscures all features of a mammal, and a... wait what?

"Uhm, ma'am, is that a rabbit in a black URS uniform?" He questions, looking at the grey rabbit in disbelief. She was obviously female, and looked way to cute to be in one of those. She looked like she should be in a green suit somewhere taking calls. Her large amethyst eyes made direct contact with his deep emeralds, both of them curious at their own separate circumstances.

"Yes sir, that is Lt. Hopps, one of the better soldiers down here. Don't let her size fool you, she's a fighter." The doe says, turning her eyes back to her laptop, her fingers flying around the keyboard in a flurry of slightly annoying clicks and clacks. Nick didn't mind though, as the rabbit soldier was apparently making her way over to him. She didn't look very happy, however, which caused Nick to tense up a bit, putting on a mask to be sure his collar didn't set off, in case things went south.

Hopps, though? That was a bit on the nose. Pun intended.

The bunny stops in front of him, her foot tapping rapidly as she eyed him, those strange amethyst orbs of hers roving up and down his body, stopping on his collar, a strange look forming on her features.

"Mr. Wilde?" Nick whips his head around to the doe at the reception, who was handing his card back to him. He gives her a small smile, grabs his card, then looks at the rabbit, who was still eyeing him, the two scientists next to her looking at each other in what Nick would assume to be confusion. She gives him a small smirk.

"Didn't expect a fox of all mammals to have some of the highest beginner credentials in the history of the company... not only that, you're also the first predator allowed to work here. It's impressive, and I can see why Bogo wanted you here. Come on, follow me, we need to get you into your suit and take you to your quarters so you can get acquainted for around an hour before we start giving you tasks." Hopps says, turning to face the two scientists behind her.

"Bucky, Pronk, you two go on and do what you were told, I've got my job right here." The two simply nod and walk off without a word. Nick stares at them, his eyebrows raised. He looks at the rabbit, who fumbles with her wrist communicator for a moment before turning to walk away. "Follow me." She says. Nick follows after her, his eyes locked on the little bunny, his curiosity officially piqued.

**{|}**

Nick follows behind Hopps, who explains to him the processes of the facility, and what exactly he'd be doing. He had questioned her about why he needed an armed escort, to which she simply shrugs.

"I don't actually know. I was given orders, and my orders were to make sure you were safe down here. Mammals tend to go crazy in the tunnels. Lack of contact, lack of oxygen, seemingly eternal darkness. So, that could probably be a large part of why they wanted me to make sure you didn't end up getting hurt. Plus, you're a high value mammal down here, not many beginning workers get Rainbow protocol cards, you know." Hopps said, giving Nick a look that seemed to be one of respect. The red fox smiled and shrugged. The two step into an industrial elevator, then Judy pulls a lever, sending them downward.

"Hard work got me here. I didn't want to be another shifty fox out on the streets, you know?" Hopps nodded at that statement.

"I get that. I could tell you were a bit different than most preds I've met. You seem to have a decent head on your shoulders. On the surface anyway. Only time will tell if you're just playing us all for fools for brownie points." Nick frowned a bit at that statement, but he decided not to hold much attention to the comment, instead focusing on the elevator stopping, then opening to reveal much different scenery.

"This is the equipment room. There are quite a few of these at random checkpoints. Most of them include blueprint tables, and workshops, which helps you keep your tools in tip top shape. Speaking of..." Judy beckons Nick to follow her into the equipment room, which was simple, having a large grey metal box with various moving parts constantly shifting around, which Wilde easily identified as a blueprint table. Directly next to it was what looked like two rectangular pieces of orange metal attached to each other, and what looked like a metalloid pillar with various gadgets and robotic arms hanging over it, as well as an adjustable lamp. This was the workshop, something he had never personally used before in his life, but he had done his fair share of research so as to not be too in the dark on how to actually use one. He assumed that there would be some sort of training to help him better understand the mechanics of the blueprint table and the workshop.

On the walls were random schematics, tool boards, metal cupboards, and hanging wall lockers. There were also a few stationary wall lockers, which were off in the corner, directly next to a URC Suit Workshop. The entire room was a stark contrast to the bright, plastic liveliness of the upper floors of the Facility D building; instead being cold and metallic. There was a hauntingly lonely feeling that hung over the entire facility, and no matter how hard he tried, Nick couldn't shake the feeling of unease, even with his eagerness to begin his new job present within him.

"Here. This is yours." Hopps moves over to Nick and hands him a weighty HDMPS, which looked brand new. Nick holds it out in front of him, observing its remarkable craftsmanship, and how different it looked from the ones he had worn. Instead of being a light polyester jumpsuit like the ones he could obtain as a civilian, instead, it was made out of what seemed to be... some sort of strong industrial weave that he couldn't pinpoint, and it seemed to be much baggier and sturdy than anything he had seen before.

"Its heavy." Nick says simply, looking over the suit, a pleased expression on his face. Hopps nods.

"Its military grade, most of the HDMPS suits are nowadays, since the risks of being stabbed by high speed flying rocks and mammals going insane have risen. Guess the government thought it would be a good idea to improve the suits to give the user more protection."

"You have any idea why mammals are going crazy down here? I've heard others say that as well, figured I might get word from someone who works here."

"I just got stationed here, actually. I work for the ZPD, they thought it would be a great idea to have me come down here to be sure everything is ethical. I'm not the only one either, there are a few more prey down here doing research on the place as well, in light of all the horror stories cropping up." Hopps says, turning her attention to her wrist communicator for a moment.

"I assume that's why its so... desolate?"

"Yes and no." The grey bunny didn't offer up anymore information after that, instead walking away from Nick to a heavy industrial door that looked rusted, and leaving the room without a word. Nick sighs and glances at the suit once more. Hopps popped her head back into the room.

"Hurry and get dressed, the shuttle to the next facility should be arriving soon." Nick nods as she leaves the room once again, taking off his clothing, save for his boxers, and slowly slinking his way into the heavy suit.

It took him a moment to actually figure out how to get in it, since he at first couldn't find any zippers, but he eventually found one, which was surprisingly on the neck and shoulders, meaning he had to quite literally slide into the thing. After struggling for nearly three minutes, the fox had the suit on and safely secured to his body, the weight of it being slight but strange on his form. He was missing a few components to it though, he knew that much, so he looked around the dimly lit room to see if he could locate the missing pieces. On a metal bench not too far from him, there was a pair of brown and grey reinforced boots. He walks over to them and sits down, putting each boot on one by one. Usually mammals didn't wear anything on their feet because of the fact that they normally didn't work around high temperatures and sharp metal objects 24/7, though Nick could safely consider himself the exception, because that's exactly what his job entailed.

After putting on his boots, he wasted no time in finding the metal fixtures and gloves that served as hand protection. He did not, however find a helmet, so he assumed that he would be getting that later. Without it the suit couldn't be turned on, so that was somewhat of a letdown for the fox. Letting out a soft breath he walks to the door that Hopps had exited out of a few moments ago, leading him to a long hallway. The lights above flickered, and the piping shot small bursts of steam every now and again. At the far end of the hall was Hopps, who was talking to a set of guards in the same suit she was wearing. The only difference, is that they were carrying what looked like rifles. The weapons were jet black, with some of the mechanisms emitting an ominous white glow. Nick wasn't very versed in weaponry, so he didn't pay much attention to them, instead deciding to walk straight over to Hopps, passing a few doors and what looked to be old parts for something. He had taken note of the heavy musty oil smell that dominated the area, noticing that there were old oil stains on almost everything.

"The shuttle is here Miss, I assume the fox is the POI?"

"Yes he is officer. Just have to escort him to his barracks and let him get acquainted with the area before letting him go off to do his work." Hopps turns around and looks at Nick. She stares for an uncomfortably long time, eyeing the suit, and his muzzle, it seemed. "It looks good on you. Officers, does the shuttle have the extra pieces to his rig, or no?"

"Ah yes, there should be a cache with a tesla cutter and a multilayer HDMPS helm located in one of the large metal storage spaces."

"Thank you."

_'Rig? That was most likely some sort of short hand term for the HDMPS or something of the like.'_ Wilde thought to himself as Hopps chatted with the guards. They began walking, Hopps tailing behind them with a unsettling gait. She was faster than most rabbits he had met, and she wasn't even running yet.

The guards seemed to lead them through various intersections and walkways that extended over the cavernous darkness of the mine, which seemed to hold a much more distressing visage to Nick than anything he had seen of the facility before. Eventually they managed to find a catwalk after what seemed to be hours of unnerving silence, with Nick not really being one for conversation in such... strange scenarios. Nick couldn't help but look over the railing, intrigued by the darkness below, and what type of work was being done. Everything was strangely quiet, despite the fact that mining facilities were usually the exact opposite of this. Nick couldn't help but grow slightly concerned, his mind not allowing him to let this small detail go so easily. He wanted to ask why it was so quiet, but for some reason, he felt as if he would get an answer akin to "I have no idea" from all three mammals present with him at the moment.

At the edge of the catwalk was metal extension platform, above it was the Elevated Rail System that allowed shuttles to freely move around the facility. There were quite a few lights surrounding it, making the area much better lit than what he had seen before, in his short time at Facility D. The shuttle, a box shaped steel contraption with windows, headlights, backlights, and a highly sophisticated motor system hung still, waiting for their entry.

Hopps said goodbye to the guards, and boarded the shuttle, Nick in tow. The interior was exactly the same as the last shuttle, appearing to be akin to the interior of a passenger car on a train. Hopps began searching through various storage modules and ceiling compartments, looking for what the rest of Nick's suit.

"Hey, fox! Get over here." Nick frowned at the verbiage, but found no harm or ill intent in her words. he walks over to Hopps, who is on her knees, her hands pulling something out of a floor hatch. It was the helmet for his suit, and what looked to be some sort of weapon. The helmet was everything Nick had hoped it to be; it matched the coloring of his current ensemble, had a sleek yet heavy industrial build, and had three optical lenses. It even had ear protection. The bunny handed Nick the helmet, who immediately put it on. A clicking sound was heard as the helmet connected to the rest of the suit, some sort of plating extending out from the neck down to where the suit stopped, connecting the two together, the pieces going under his collar, which in his mind would have rendered the need for one moot.

Suddenly, text appeared across his vision, and HDMPS V.5.6.89 ACTIVATED flashing for a few seconds before his sight returned to normal. Hopps looked at him, and reached down for what Nick assumed to be a weapon.

"This is a Tesla Cutter. You're gonna be using this a lot to access parts of the facility that have been walled off, since you're helping fix various machines that are located in abandoned areas of the facility." Nick grabbed the Tesla Melter and looked it over. It was a heavy thing, continuing the trend of heaviness that had been present in everything else beforehand. Its shape was like that of a handgun, except it was much bigger, and had a clear casing covering it, showing the gears and tesla coils pulsing with a faint orange electric current. It had an odd shade of blue, which contrasted the mostly monochromatic color scheme of everything else around Nick. He observed it for a little while, unsure of exactly how to use it.

The Lieutenant wasn't much help either, as she just casually walks past Nick and sits down, her eyes going straight back to the communicator on her wrist. Shrugging, Nick sits down on the opposing side of her, staring off at nothing in particular, eager to start working. Time seemed to pass by at a slow pace as he watched the lights outside the shuttle windows, a sight that got old after about 10 minutes of watching the same thing over and over again. Glancing around, Nick decided that it would be better to explore, rather than sit on his ass and do nothing, well, that's what he would have done, if the shuttle hadn't lurched and the lights hadn't suddenly cut out.

"Hopps? What's going on?" He asks, looking around for the rabbit in pitch blackness. Thankfully his visor allowed him to see exceptionally well in the dark.

"I'm here. Just sit tight, I'm going to try to contact command to see what the hell is going on here." Hopps states, her silhouette pacing back and forth. If she doesn't know what the hell is going on, then how would he be of any assistance? Nick glances around the shuttle, seeing nothing of note, the screens present to control it were off, since there was no power going anywhere apparently.

Suddenly, a load groaning noise erupted from the depths of the facility, startling both passengers greatly. The noise reverberates through the entirety of the cavern, shaking the shuttle, causing Hopps and Wilde to stumble around in the darkness. Nick grabs hold of a seat, his heart rate elevating, the yellow light on his collar flashing yellow. Nick notices this an quickly reigns in his jumbled mind, controlling his breathing and heart rate enough to set the color back to its original green state.

"What the fuck was that!?" Nick yells. Hopps gives him a fearful look.

"I... I don't know."

**_000.1001.000.1 end log_**


End file.
